


Crescent

by amukmuk



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Family Angst, Family Fluff, Fighting in the Rebellion, Growing Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:48:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26071417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amukmuk/pseuds/amukmuk
Summary: Fox and Riyo become parents.
Relationships: Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox
Comments: 16
Kudos: 104





	Crescent

**Author's Note:**

> Okay! So this plays off of my other two post-Order 66 works "Stitches" and "Thunderstorms". Of course, you don't have to read those two to understand what is happening here!

Chaos. Complete and utter chaos. 

It had started like any other weekend. Saturdays Fox and Riyo go to the Farmer’s Market and they spend Sundays doing chores around the house and getting distracted by each other. Every weekend is filled with the same domestic bliss. They sleep in late - even though late for both of them consists of 0700 - and wake slowly with wandering hands before rising and to search for breakfast. Sometimes they go to the diner down the street for caf and omelettes, other times they make breakfast themselves and sing to the radio while doing so. Their routine varies, and that is just fine because neither one of them are mandated by the Republic to do anything at a particular time anymore. 

But what they hadn’t expected was to get carpet-bombed. When the first explosion hit, Fox had pushed her out of the way. When the second explosion hit, she threw her hands over her head and prayed that her husband had also found cover. Now, all she can hear is ringing. “Fox!” She croaks, struggling to her feet. Chaos. 

Fires are devouring the buildings of the town they call home. People are running and screaming, others are dragging injured to the sides of the street. One Twilek man is missing a leg and another human man is helping him limp over to the sidewalk. Riyo turns her head and wretches. “Fox!” She sobs, but the smoke is burning her lungs, the air is too hot and thick to breathe. “Fox!” Another explosion sounds off and she curls up, covering her head. 

“Everyone needs to get off the road!” She hears someone barking. “We need fire crews on this street and the next! Anyone with medical knowledge I need you helping the injured into the clothing store. Now! Move it! Move it!” 

She stumbles to her feet and follows that familiar commanding voice into the rubble. “Fox?” 

He is standing on a large chunk of fallen building, ordering around the able-bodied of their town. He has a significant gash above his eyebrow that is streaming blood down his face, but he seems unphased. In his arms, though, is a small human girl, sucking her thumb. Tear tracks stream down her dusty face and her, what looks like was once brown hair, is caked with the white powder of duracrete. 

“Riyo!” He gasps when he sees her, jumping from his perch on the rubble and drawing her into a hug. “I need you to take this tyke home, if there are any unclaimed kids or dazed elders, take them with you too. We need to get everyone, especially the elderly and children, to safety.” 

She wants to argue with him, to tell him that she is just as, if not more, capable than the villagers to fight, but with one look at the little girl, she resigns herself to being caretaker today. “Okay,” she nods. “Please be safe,” she pleads. 

He smirks. “I always am.”

She begs to differ. 

Scooping the little girl into her arms, Riyo starts corralling anyone that needs shelter. More bombs fall from the sky, and she swallows her own fear as she leads the gaggle of terrified villagers to her home. She yanks open her door, heedless of its normally stubborn hinges, and ushers everyone inside. “Quickly now, quickly. Everyone have a seat wherever you are comfortable. Quickly, quickly.” 

A little boy yanks on her skirts and she looks down, “I can’t find my mommy.”

“It’s okay sweetie, we’ll find her later. Go inside okay?” He shakes his head and clings impossibly tighter to her skirts. 

Sighing, Riyo runs her slender fingers through his dark hair. “You’re going to be okay.” When everyone is inside, she ushers him in as well. “We’re going to be okay.”

~

Night falls before the bombing stops. Riyo holds the little boy and girl - Cameron and Akela - as the bombs fall, illuminating the sky in a disturbing orange haze. Blaster fire richotes through the allies and with each close sound or explosion, the children whimper and she holds them tighter. Nothing will happen to them, not now, not with her here to protect them. 

Eventually, the fighting dies down and Riyo silently prays for her husband to return home. She knows that he is most comfortable leading, but that doesn’t make her worry any less, not when he had a terrible head injury the last she had seen him. 

There is a knock on her door - not just any knock, _their_ knock. As things in the galaxy had worsened, Fox insisted on them coming up with a nonverbal code for things. Two heavy knocks followed by a lighter one, is their code for _me_. She leaps up, only feeling a little sorry for jostling the children. Flipping up the several locks and deadbolts on her door, she pulls it open and sees her beautiful, battered husband. 

She throws her arms around him and he grunts, catching her and pulling her close. “I was so worried,” she rasps into his chest. 

He parts them only to pull her into a desperate kiss. “I’m here.” 

“Hold me,” she whispers, anyway. 

He does. He enters their home, keeping one arm wrapped around her. “Everyone,” he speaks to the room of cowering villagers. “The fighting has ended. Feel free to stay if you feel unsafe. If you’d like an escort home, I’m more than willing to walk you there.” 

No one moves. 

“I’ll get the blankets,” Riyo says, begrudgingly separating herself from his side. 

~

Fox and Riyo lay on the floor of their bedroom. They let all of the children dogpile into their bed. Every spare blanket, scarf, sweater, pillow, cushion, they possess has been given to each of their terrified houseguests and now, in the eerie silence of the evening, Fox and Riyo lay together. The moonlight pours through their window, illuminating Fox’s angular features, making them look far more harsh than they do in the day. The crease in between his brows is not a trick of the light, though. There is something troubling on his mind. 

“Credit for your thoughts?” she murmurs, careful to keep her voice low so as to not wake the children. 

He is silent for a long moment, drawing circles on her shoulder blade with his thumb. “The fighting is getting worse.”

She nods against his chest, but doesn’t speak. 

“We lost a lot of good men and women tonight,” he whispers. 

“How many?” 

“Seventeen.”

“Seventeen?” She gasps. 

He hums in the affirmative. 

“What-what do we do?”

“ _We_ are going to leave as soon as possible.”

“Fox, we can’t possibly abandon these people.”

“This is a game of survival now, not preserving our morals.”

“Yet if we do not have our morals, what do we have?”

“Each other.”

She doesn’t want to say that he isn’t enough, because he is. He has been. For over a year, it has just been them against the galaxy - together they can weather any storm. But they also have standards, her brave commander would never abandon his men in battle and she would never let the needy go without care. “And what are we without our principles?”

“Alive.”

“Is that truly enough?”

He doesn’t say anything for a long moment. “We will need to prepare for the fact that some of these children may be orphans now.”

“Let us pray that they aren’t.”

~

In the morning, everyone disperses except Cameron and Akela, the two children who had clung desperately to her last night. Fox runs bath water while Riyo rummages through her closet, trying to find something different they can wear. Ultimately, she finds two shirts that will be way too big for both of the children, but will hopefully work until their parents come to claim them. 

If their parents come to claim them. 

“Okay, Akela. You first,” Riyo announces and the little girl slides off the couch to bathe. “Do you need any help?”

Akela nods slowly. “Mommy always helps me wash my hair.”

“Okay.” For the first time in her life, Riyo finds herself at a loss of words. She has never cared for a child, has never washed a child’s hair. How does one bathe a child? Is it similar to washing livestock? She’s done that a few times in her life. “Okay, I can help you with that.” She looks up to Fox for some sort of guidance and he simply shrugs. 

“Cameron and I will get started on breakfast while you two get cleaned up,” he offers. 

The little boy looks up to him with wide eyes, reflecting a similar look that Riyo wears. 

Fox has never been in charge of meal prep. As much as she loves her husband, his culinary skills are a bit to be desired. She knows this stems from only eating rations for his entire life, but still. There is one place Fox should never, _ever_ be allowed, and that is the kitchen. 

Riyo arches an eyebrow. 

Fox smirks, that devilish smile that makes him resemble his namesake. “I’m sure I can handle some oatmeal.”

Both children wrinkle their noses, but neither of them protest - probably because this area isn't exactly wealthy and fancy breakfasts are few and far between. 

"Cameron, you keep an eye on him. Make sure he doesn’t burn down the house," Riyo instructs, a playful smile tugging at her lips.

"Yes ma'am," the once bashful boy smirks. Last night he had cowered and clung to her, this morning he appears to be little more at ease. And, in a galaxy at war, that is all she can ask. 

~

Fox opens the bag of oats and pours them into the boiling water. He’s not very good at making small talk, and he was never very good at dealing with kids, either. On Coruscant, community outreach days were his least favorite. Sure, it was nice to not be chasing after criminals or being harassed by good-for-nothing senators, but children make him nervous. They are just so small, something with which he doesn’t have much personal experience. Most of his childhood was spent in excruciating pain, either from growth spurts or rigorous training. He’ll never forget the day they did sleep-deprivation training. Four days with no sleep running some of the hardest courses Kamino had - he had never felt so weak, so sore. 

“Hey mister?” Cameron pokes his side. “You should probably stir it so the oats don’t stick to the pan.”

Fox shakes himself from his reverie and stirs the oats. Sure enough, some were stuck to the bottom. “Thanks, kid.”

Cameron nods and chews his bottom lip. “How come you don’t know how to make oats? Even _I_ can do that.”

Fox snorts. “Yeah, well, my wife keeps me out of the kitchen.”

The kid rolls his eyes and mutters, “I can see why.”

“How old are you, kid?” 

“Eleven.”

Fox eyes him. He doesn’t have much experience with nat-borns but this kid looks awful small. “How old are you _really_?”

“Nine,” he sighs. “If I’m older I get more jobs and stuff.”

Fox nods. “What do you do? For jobs, that is.” There. A comfortable topic. Fox can talk about work; if there is anything he knows well, it is _work_. 

The kid shrugs and drags his socked toe across the tile. “I run errands a lot for people. Sometimes I fix things. I helped old man Nadal fix the light above his sink once.”

“I fix things too,” Fox offers. 

“I know. You’re the mechanic. One of the best, momma…” the boy trails off. 

“Your mom what?”

The kid shrugs again. “Momma was trying to save money to have you fix our speeder. It quit working a while ago.”

“Maybe you can take me by later today and I can try and fix it,” Fox offers. He doesn’t know why he does. It’s just the way the kid looks so dejected. He clearly misses his mother; Fox has seen Riyo wear a similar face when she thinks he isn’t looking. 

~

Fox, Riyo, and the children head out after breakfast. Their town has been decimated. It is so clear now, in the morning light. Buildings smolder morously and Fox watches as these people - he supposes he should refer to them as _his_ people, but even a year later he can’t do that. The only people that will ever be _his_ share either his face or his last name. 

“Fox,” Riyo says, catching his arm. Held tightly to her chest is the little human girl, who is sucking her thumb once more and looking up at him with bright blue eyes. “I’m going to walk around, help some people search in the rubble and see if I can’t find Akela’s mother.”

He nods. “Cameron and I will go back to his home, see what we can find. Ri,” he catches her hand when she goes to turn. “You have your blaster?” He tries not to cringe at himself. Even after all this time, he still has such a hard time _saying_ what he _means_. 

_I love you._

_Be safe._

She smiles. Somehow, even when his words fail, she _knows_. “Always.” She squeezes his arm three times and his heart skips a beat. 

_I love you_. 

Before he can squeeze back, she is turning away, leaving him with the boy. “Alright, kid. Lead the way,” he sighs, gesturing for the boy to start walking. 

Cameron does and Fox dutifully follows. In the morning light, Fox is stuck by how much he looks like a cadet - an undisciplined cadet, but a cadet nonetheless. The boy has curly, black hair that flops around when he walks - reminding him painfully of Thire - and deep brown eyes. 

“Does your mom work?” Fox asks, trying to prevent himself from spiraling into the relentless sea of memories of dead brothers. 

“Yeah.”

“What does she do?”

The kid glares at Fox. “She’s a dancer.”

Fox is about to ask what kind of dance and then it hits him. 

_Oh_. 

He clears his throat. “And your dad? What about him?”

The kid shrugs. “He’s a smuggler. Haven’t seen him in months.”

Fox nods and keeps walking when a fire crew rushes past them, shouting about a house ablaze on the corner of 5th and 6th street. Suddenly, Cameron is off, chasing after them with all of his might. 

“Cameron!” Fox yells, taking off after him. 

Fox’s stomach churns as they rapidly approach the flaming house. Deep red flames crash through the windows and black smoke billows from the roof. “Cameron!” Fox just barely snatches the boy up before he charges into the burning home. 

“Mom!” The boy kicks and screams, clawing at Fox’s chest as he carries him away. “Momma!”

The boy gives up fighting, now hanging limp in Fox’s arms, and starts sobbing. “Mommy, no.” 

Lowering himself to his knees, Fox hugs the boy properly instead of restraining him. “It’s okay,” he murmurs. 

“No, momma’s _dead_ ,” Cameron hiccups. 

Fox holds him to his chest, combing his fingers through the boy’s unruly locks. “Shh… we don’t know that. Shh…”

The boy throws his arms around Fox and sobs. 

“It’s okay. You’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. Shh.”

~

Riyo prepares dinner, just simple pasta and sauce, while Fox turns on their modest holoprojector for the kids. Despite her best efforts, she hadn’t found Akela’s mother. She had wandered the streets, little girl in her arms, asking if she was anyone’s child. The villagers had shaken their heads and gone back to tending to the wounded, digging through the rubble, trying to regain a sense of normalcy before the Empire returned and stole it from them once more. 

“Ri,” Fox comes around the corner. 

She turns to give him a gentle smile, but his face is twisted with grief. “What?” She drops her spoon to take up his arms. 

“I think Cameron’s mom died in a house fire.”

“And his father?”

“Not around much from what I understand.”

She sighs and looks down, rubbing her hands up and down his arms. There are no words for losing a parent. She doesn’t know what she would do without hers, even if she doesn’t get to see them regularly, or at all anymore. 

“What about Akela?” He murmurs. 

“No one seems to know her or her parents,” she whispers. 

“Miss Riyo?” Akela comes around the corner, followed closely by Cameron. “I’m hungry.”

Cameron nods solemnly behind her. 

Plastering her smile that she had used for political gatherings, Riyo turns to the children, “Well lucky for you, dinner is done!”

~

The children sleep in their bed once more, Akela sucking her thumb and Cameron curled up on his side, almost protectively around the little girl. 

“What do we do?” Fox whispers, watching them from the door. 

Hearing the dismay in his voice, she reaches down and intertwines their fingers. “We protect them.”

He nods. “I guess we should probably start getting supplies for them.”

She smirks. Always the planner, her Fox. “We should also see about getting them proper beds and clearing out the storage room.” 

He nods again. “I guess I’ll start with that tomorrow.”

“No, no, go to the shop. I’m sure people still need their speeders fixed. I can handle clearing out a dusty old room.”

He looks down at her. “I’d like to stay… Keep an eye on everything.”

She arches an eyebrow. “Do you not trust me?”

His brow furrows. “I know I’m not supposed to have any sort of battle shock. I was… created to be better than that,” he pulls their intertwined fingers up to kiss her hand. “But I’m not ready to leave you alone yet. We were attacked. I could have lost you.”

She smiles and cups his face in her hand, “But you didn’t. I’m here with you.”

He bends down and kisses her, “And that is all I need.”

~

Calling it a ‘storage room’ was probably an embellishment, if not an entire misnomer. Along the left wall are two crates, one with charges and other assorted weaponry and the other with his armor. On the other wall is a trunk of some of her fine senatorial robes that she pawns for extra credits when things get tight. Along the back wall is a rickety desk and chair where Fox does his paperwork for the mechanic shop that they started up when they set up their homestead here. 

“I suppose we can go through the crates and sell some of it,” Riyo sighs, hands on her hips. 

Fox nods. “Just not my armor. Not ready to part with that yet.”

“Armor?” They hear Cameron prompt from behind them. “You have armor?”

Fox nods slowly. 

Akela, peering around Cameron, chirps, “Can we see it?”

He looks to Riyo who shrugs.

“I suppose,” he answers. “But you’ll have to be careful with it. It’s very special to me.”

The two children nod fervently and Fox undoes the clips on the crate. Gently, he pulls out his bucket and tries to swallow down the emotions that swirl within him when he sees it. 

“Woah,” Cameron gasps, carefully accepting the helmet from the once-commander. “Can, I put it on?”

“Sure,” Fox rasps. 

Cameron slips it over his head and giggles. It doesn’t quite fit, but his imagination is already taking flight. “Freeze,” he holds up finger guns and Fox puts his hands in the air. “You're under arrest.”  
“For what?” Fox asks. 

“Uh,” Cameron hesitates. 

Fox has never been good at playing with children and he’s afraid that maybe he has ruined the fantasy by playing too close to reality. 

“For making awful oatmeal.”

The gears in Fox’s mind screech to a halt as Riyo giggles and covers her mouth. “Now hang on, my oatmeal is just fine.”

Akela rolls her eyes. “Maybe for dogs.”

Fox’s mouth falls agape as he looks from the giggling children to Riyo, who at least has the decency to try not to laugh. He leaps up. “Well you’ll never take me alive!” He carefully - he doesn’t want to knock either of them over - darts between them and takes off at a slow jog. Cameron, elated to suddenly be playing cops and robbers, or in this case clone commander and horrendous oatmeal-maker, takes off after him in a fit of giggles. 

~

They sold some of Riyo’s dresses and Fox’s appropriated weaponry and managed to buy two modest beds for the children. They leave the desk in the room, though it will no longer serve as Fox’s budgeting and invoice desk. Instead, Riyo imagines either of the children doing their studies at that desk, or painting her pictures, or fixing their own little gadgets. She can already tell that Cameron has a mind for it already, whereas Akela is definitely a politician. She is a professional at convincing Fox to delay her bedtime, but she supposes she may be a little susceptible to the girl’s charm as well. 

“Just one more story?” Akela asks, curling closer to Riyo on the bed. Cameron, as much as he tries to look like he is ignoring them - he is _nine_ after all, he doesn’t need bedtime stories - glances over with wide, pleading eyes. 

“Okay, one more,” Riyo says, accepting a datapad from Akela. Both of the children settle in to listen and out of the very corner of her eye, she can see Fox standing at the doorway, a smile spread across his face. 

~

They gather around the kitchen table for dinner. It has only been a week since the children have landed in their lives, but in many ways it feels like a lifetime. Riyo can already tell the causes of Akela’s fussy behavior and Cameron has warmed up to them, finally telling excited tales or fun facts that he has learned. Both children have gone unclaimed for so long that she has begun to call them her own. And that is exactly why her stomach drops when there is a knock on their door just as she fills everyone’s plates. 

“Are you expecting anyone?” Fox asks. 

She shakes her head. 

Nodding, he rises from the table, hand resting on his blaster holstered at his hip. He peers through the peephole before hesitantly pulling the door open. “Can I help you?” He grumbles. 

“Hi yes. I, um, I’m looking for a Miss Chuchi? Miss Riyo Chuchi?”

Quietly telling the children to stay at the table, she rises and stands by her husband. “I’m Riyo Chuchi. Who are you?”

“My name is Alnaada Frey. I, um,” she sweeps her blonde hair from her eyes. “I heard you might have my daughter? Akela Frey?”

Riyo feels as if she’s been shot. Her vision tunnels, her heart plummets to her stomach, and if not for Fox’s sure hands, she’s certain she would have collapsed to her knees. “What?” Is all she can rasp. 

“Please,” the mother rasps and Riyo is suddenly impaled with that thought. She isn’t this child’s mother. She never was. 

“Come in,” she manages, stepping aside. 

Akela scoots her chair out, causing it to grind across the floor as she screeches. “MOMMY!” She bounds across the room and leaps into the woman’s arms. 

Her mother’s arms. 

She can’t breathe. Her chest. She can’t breathe. Sweet Goddess, why is this happening to her? Why was she forced to welcome this little girl into her home, her life, only to have her ripped away? 

She can’t breathe. 

“Let me go grab my things!” Akela bounds to her room. 

Ms. Frey stands and pulls Riyo into a hug. “Thank you, thank you so much for taking care of her.”

Riyo nods and looks to Fox, who mirrors her distraught expression. She glances to the kitchen only to see Cameron standing there numbly, his hands hanging limp by his sides. 

“It was no trouble at all,” Riyo says, because it wasn’t. And with all of her might, she forces on her best politician smile and says goodbye to the daughter that was never hers. 

~

"I can't find Cameron," Riyo gasps, charging into their bedroom. "I thought he went outside, but he's not in the garden and he's not in his room."

Fox bolts out of bed. "Okay, breathe, just breathe. Where was the last place you saw him?"

"In the kitchen, Akela's mother came and he was just _standing_ there. Oh, Fox. Sweet Goddess."

Fox pulls on his jacket. "I think I know where he went."

She nods shakily. She cannot lose both of her kids in one day. She doesn't think she can bear it. 

"I'll stay here, in case he comes back," she breathes, raking her hands through her hair. 

Fox kisses her forehead. "We'll find him. Don't worry," he promises before taking off out their door.

~

Cameron is kneeling outside of the still-smoldering remains of his home when Fox finds him. "Cameron?" Fox speaks softly and moves even slower, like approaching a wild animal. 

The boy hiccups on a sob. "I want my mommy."

Fox kneels tentatively beside him. "I know."

"How do you know!?" He lashes. "My mom is _dead_ . She isn't going to magically come for me like Akela's mom did. I'm _alone_!"

"You're right. I don't know what it is like to lose a parent. I never had any. But, I had a family and they're all dead now." 

With bloodshot eyes, the boy blinks up at him, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands. 

“But I do know one thing for certain, Cameron, and that is you will _never_ be alone.”

The boy sniffles and throws his arms around Fox with one last strangled sob. 

~

Riyo nearly collapses once more upon seeing two figures emerging from the darkness. “Cameron!” She cries, running and falling to her knees in front of the boy to scoop him into a hug. “You had me worried sick!”

“I’m sorry, Miss Chuchi,” he mumbles into her hair. 

She pulls him away and wipes away the tears that are still trickling down his plump cheeks. “You _can_ call me Riyo, sweetie.”

He nods. “Okay.” She helps her boys into the house and Cameron turns to her. “Um, Riyo?”

“Yes, baby?” 

“Can you please read a story to me?” 

She beams and looks to Fox. “Of course, sweetie,” she follows him into the bedroom. 

~

Later that night, Fox and Riyo lay in bed, her head resting on his chest. “Fox… What did you say to him?”

“Hmm?” He hums, already falling asleep. 

“To get him to come back to us, what did you say?”

“He said that he is alone now that his mother is dead and I reminded him that he wasn’t. That’s all.”

“Fox.”  
He hums again. 

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

~

Days turn to weeks and weeks into months and months into a year before Riyo truly lets herself start referring to Cameron as her son, even if it is only in her own mind. Today is a very special day though, and she is working tirelessly in the kitchen with a bag of icing. A baker she may be, but a cake decorator she is not. She fights hopelessly with the bag and all she can say is that at least it is legible. 

_Happy 10th Birthday Cameron_

It’s a surprise. Fox is in charge of distraction while she decorates the cake, the house, and hides all of the children from his class in nooks and crannies of her home. She is elated. Her little boy is turning 10, the first double digit of his life. 

She hastily cleans herself up and pins up the last streamer when there is a knock on her door. “Oh please do come in!” She smiles. “Cameron and Fox will be here in fifteen minutes.” 

One after another, a child, normally accompanied by a mother, is deposited and she beams when her com chirps three times. Two long beeps followed by one short one. 

“Everyone! Find a hiding spot!” Riyo instructs, tucking the children behind her couch, under her table, and behind the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. She shuts off the lights and joins them. 

The door creaks open and she can hear his voice. “Wait, I thought Riyo was going to be home waiting for us?” 

Fox flips on the lights and everyone leaps out. “Surprise!” 

Cameron’s eyes light up and he stands there, completely, well, surprised. 

“Happy Birthday, baby,” Riyo smiles, giving him a hug. 

“Happy Birthday, kid.” Fox ruffles his unruly locks. 

“Thank you,” Cameron mumbles, just loud enough for only them to hear. 

~

Thunder echoes through the thick summer air and rain pelts the metal roof of their home. Riyo curls closer to Fox, relishing in the feeling of adoration that washes over her when their naked sink touches. A soft breeze wafts through their window, billowing out their curtains, and filling their room with the aroma of a summer thunderstorm. 

A crack of lightning flashes across the sky and they both flinch at the stomach-rumbling boom that rattles their home. 

“That was a big one,” Fox mumbles into her hair. 

She hums in agreement and traces her fingers down his chest and to the waistband of his pants. 

“Are you awake?” 

They both hear the frightened voice outside of their door and Fox practically leaps from bed. She knows that he is well aware of another being now existing - and has been existing for the past year - in their home with them, but that doesn’t stop his warrior instincts from kicking in when he is spooked. 

“You scared me, kid,” Fox gasps. 

“Sorry,” Cameron mumbles. 

Riyo sits up, adjusting her nightgown. “Are you okay, baby?”

In the dim light of the nightlight they have in the hallway, she can see the little boy shake his head. 

“The thunder really scared me and I had a nightmare…” he trails off and they don’t need to know what his nightmare was about. Fox has woken up several times with similar ones. 

“Come here,” Riyo offers, holding the blankets up for him. 

Without further prompting, Cameron launches himself into their bed and curls up with his head on Riyo’s chest. Fox shuts the window and climbs in bed, curling himself protectively around his family.

~

Cameron is now allowed to man the front desk at Fox’s shop and he is _elated_ . The only rule is he has to finish his homework first. But, Fox is awesome and will sometimes let him do homework _and_ man the front desk, which is exactly what he is doing now. Cameron swivels from side to side on the bar stool while his - Fox, while _Fox_ tinkers underneath the speeder. 

“Hey,” Cameron calls. He’s been staring at this problem for ten minutes now and the numbers just... Aren’t making sense. Why does math have to include letters too? Isn’t it hard enough without them? 

“What’s up?” Fox calls without removing himself from under the speeder. 

“What’s seven times seven?”

“Don’t you have a calculator?” The older man calls back. 

“No, I left it at home.”

“Well then I guess you’ll just have to learn to be more prepared.”

Cameron sighs. That’s the only bad thing about Fox, unpreparedness gains no sympathy from him. He thinks it comes from his shady past; Fox doesn’t mention much about it and Cameron knows better than to ask, but every once and a while he will hear both Fox and Riyo up in the wee hours drinking tea together and what sounds like crying. 

“I really just don’t understand this math. It has letters in it and I’m not even sure I’m doing it right,” Cameron slouches against the counter and begs for a customer to come in so he doesn’t have to stare at this Goddess-foresaken piece of flimsi anymore. He hears the roller seat slide from underneath the speeder before he sees Fox in his periphery, cleaning off his hands on a shop rag. 

“Let me take a look,” Fox offers. 

Cameron scooches to the side to display the source of his frustrations. 

“Oh, I see,” Fox smirks. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this math.”

“You learned how to do this?”

“Yeah, I was just a cadet at the time.”

“Cadet?” Cameron prompts. 

Fox shrugs. “I spent my entire life in the army. But math. Focus.”

That… is the most Fox has ever said about his childhood, past, whatever. “Yeah. So, I have to solve for ‘x’ but I just don’t get it.”

“Well you have to get ‘x’ by itself, so you need to divide by seven, not multiply.” 

Cameron watches as Fox solves the problem effortlessly. ‘X’ equals one. He feels so dumb now. “Oh. Thanks.”

“No problem. Use the one I did as a template. I’ll be right back. Gonna go grab some supplies from in the back.”

“Yessir,” Cameron offers a lazy salute causing Fox to chuckle and reach to ruffle his hair before remembering his hands are still dirty. 

Cameron turns back to his homework with a renewed confidence just as the bell above the door chimes. Sighing, he shuffles his homework away and looks at the disgruntled man charging up to the counter. 

“Where’s Fox?” He slurs. 

Cameron notes the bottle of amber liquid hanging between his fingers. His heart immediately leaps into his throat. He has seen a bottle like that before, and it was normally followed up with a beating from his birth father. 

“Can I help you, sir?” Cameron musters his best ‘adult’ voice. If his voice cracks, well, sometimes stuff like that happens. 

“Yeah, where’s Fox, boy?”

Suddenly, Cameron is overwhelmed with a feeling to protect his father. He lets himself say it this time, at least only in his head because Fox _is_ his dad. He has never had one that meant anything to him before. His birth dad could kark right off for all he cared. 

“I dunno,” Cameron shrugs, sliding off the bar stool. 

“Tell me where he is, boy!” The man grips his shoulders and shakes him. 

For a crusty old fart, this guy has a grip like a durasteel vice. Cameron doesn’t let him see how scared he is, though. He goes to move the man’s hands off of him, when a blur of angry mechanic flys by him, pinning the man against the wall. 

“What the hell do you want, Virg?” Fox slams him against the wall. Fox has a hold of him by the shirt collar. 

The man swats away Fox’s hands and takes a swing at him. Fox counters it effortlessly and punches the man three times. Right fist to the stomach, left fist to the stomach, and then an uppercut to the jaw. 

Cameron is both terrified and amazed. 

Then Fox has the guy, who now has a very bloody nose, pinned up against the wall by his throat. “Get out of my fucking shop and I swear, if I ever see you lay a hand on my boy again I _will_ kill you. Have I made myself clear?” His voice is low and deadly and it sends a shiver down Cameron’s spine. 

“I said, have I made myself clear!” Fox bellows and now Cameron does flinch. 

“Yes,” the old man gurgles, talking around the blood that is surely flowing into his mouth by now. 

Fox marches to the door, hauling the man along and tosses him outside. “Stay out of here you fucking waste of oxygen!”

Cameron shivers as Fox whirls around in almost the same breath and charges towards him. He flinches, he doesn’t mean to, but a walk like that is almost always accompanied by an ass-beating. 

“Cameron, did he hurt you?” Fox kneels and, with a feather-light touch, rests his hands on his shoulders, just like the waste of oxygen had. “Cameron? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you?” He sounds panicked. 

At first, he can’t muster his voice, so he shakes his head. 

His dad pulls him into a hug. “I’m so sorry you had to see that. I didn’t mean to lose my temper like that in front of you.”

“He used to hit me,” Cameron rasps. 

Fox pulls away, a new fire in his eyes. “That man used to hit you?” Fox points at the door. 

Cameron quickly shakes his head. “No, no. My, uh, my birth father did.”

Fox pulls him into another crushing hug. “I am so sorry, Cameron. I am so sorry you had to go through that. I promise. I promise no one will ever hurt you like that again.”

Cameron nods into his dad’s chest and breathes him in. He smells like home, like Riyo’s - his mom’s laundry detergent and motor oil. “Dad?” Cameron mumbles and his dad pulls away, his eyes wide and searching the boy’s face. “Is it okay if I call you Dad?” 

A smile erupts on the older man’s face and he takes his son’s head into his hands and touches their foreheads together. “Yeah… Yeah it’s okay, kid. You’ve been my boy since the day we brought you home.”

Tears spill over in Cameron’s eyes and he lays his hands over his dad’s larger, calloused ones. “Can… can we go home now?”

His dad moves to stand. “Yeah, grab your homework.” 

“Do you think mom will be mad if I don’t finish it?” 

Fox smiles and ruffles his hair, heedless of his greasy hands. “I don’t think she’ll mind one bit… but she really won’t mind if we bring her home some flowers.”

Cameron beams. “Okay!”

~

Riyo only minded a little bit that Cameron didn’t finish his homework and bribed her with flowers. But when he came running through the door into her arms and called her mom, every care she had went flying out the window. 

She pulls out the ice cream and Pantoran cinnamon buns that she made a few days ago and, after making a bowl for everyone, curls up on the couch with her boys. 

Her boys. 

She loves the sound of that. 

Cameron sits between them, and curls up on her, stuffing his toes under Fox’s legs. Her husband smiles adoringly so, and rubs their son’s calf before reaching across the couch to squeeze her shoulder three times. She has never seen him so happy. 

Catching his eyes, she can’t help but beam as she mouths, “I love you too.”

~

Riyo is making dinner and Cameron is sitting at the kitchen table working on his essay, when Fox comes home from work, locking the door behind him like usual. “There’s my beautiful wife,” Fox grins coming up behind her and twirling her around to kiss her. 

Riyo giggles, dropping her spoon and twining her fingers in his hair. “Happy Anniversary, my beautiful husband.”

Cameron makes a gagging sound. “Ew gross.”

Riyo spins and glares at him playfully. “Gross?”

Cameron nods. “Gross,” he answers definitively. 

Riyo unwinds herself from Fox and pounces on her son, tickling and smothering him in kisses. “Gross? Gross!? Gross that I love you soooooo much?” She kisses his cheeks, his hair, and pinches his sides. 

The boy squeals and falls from the chair. “Help! Help! Dad, help! I’m getting cooties!” 

Fox shrugs, before joining them on the floor, tickling his son while his wife smothers them in kisses. “That’ll teach you not to call your mom gross.”

~

“Hey, what’s the meaning of - of ex-pec-ta-tion,” Cameron carefully sounds out each syllable as he sits at the kitchen table.

His mom looks up from her datapad and rests her chin in her hand thoughtfully. “It means the thoughts or hopes someone may have for the future.”

“Like what?”

“Like I expect you to brush your teeth tonight before you go to bed, so my expectation would be that you brush your teeth before bed. Does that make sense?”

He nods. “You’re so good at this. Words are hard.”

Riyo smiles. “Well I have a lot of practice using words.”

Cameron perks up at the chance to learn more about his mom’s past. “How? What did you use to do?”

Her brow furrows. “Well, I served in the Senate for a while.”

“Woah! You were a senator!?” 

Riyo smiles. “That’s actually how your father and I met.”

Cameron sets aside his homework. “Tell me.”

“Do your vocabulary first, then I will tell you.”

“I’ll do the dishes after dinner if you tell me now.”

“You’re supposed to do the dishes after dinner anyway,” she levels. 

He sighs. “Okay, okay. I will… uh… I’ll do the laundry.”

She arches an eyebrow. “You don’t know how to use the washing machine.”

“I can learn. It can’t be that hard. I helped dad fix old man Nadal’s speeder last week.”

“You don’t even want to learn your new vocabulary words,” she sighs, looking back to her data pad. 

Sensing that he may be losing the battle he decides to raise her ire just a little bit. “Yeah, but who needs fancy words when I’ll just end up being a mechanic?”

“You don’t know that,” she shoots across the table. “You could invent something spectacular and would have to write a proposal. Words _are_ important.”

“So are stories,” he wags his eyebrows. 

Riyo sighs and sets down her datapad. “And why, pray tell, are you so interested in this story now?”

“Because you’re my mom and dad,” he shrugs. “I know how my birth parents met. Why shouldn’t I know how you two met?”

Riyo smirks. “See? Words _are_ important. You would have been a great senator.”

“So you’ll tell me?”

She chuckles. “Yes, I will tell you. It was not too long ago, about seven years now, I suppose. I was new, just a freshly elected Senator and your father was a Commander in the Galactic Army of the Republic. You have to understand, times were different then and… and the love your father and I have for each other was illegal then. It still is, in a way.”

“Wait, why?”

Riyo sighs. “I probably shouldn’t be the one to tell you this, but you’ll learn it anyway. Fox, your father, is a clone. He wasn’t, isn’t, considered sentient. He has no rights. We fled Coruscant when the Empire took power and we are both wanted individuals. Luckily, not too wanted, no bounty hunters have come sniffing around in quite some time.”

Cameron sits there, awestruck. “Wait. Dad’s a _clone_?”

Riyo nods. “You cannot go saying that to just anyone. Suspicions will be raised, then we will have to move again.”

Cameron nods. “You never said how you met, though.”

She smiles. “When I was elected, he got stuck showing me around the Senate hall and to say thank you I brought him cookies, and we know how good my cookies are,” she whispers the last part conspiratorially and Cameron giggles. “And the rest as they say, is history.”

Cameron nods. “My birth parents met at a bar, that’s way less cool.”

Riyo chuckles. “Is that so?”

He nods seriously. “Yeah. My mom is a senator and my dad is a commander. How cool is that?”

Riyo laughs again, but then steels herself. “You cannot tell your friends.”

“I know,” he nods. “But… It’s cool to know I come from someone important. Makes me feel like maybe I’ll make a difference one day.”

She reaches across the table and takes his hand. “You will, any son of ours will accomplish great things.”

~

They had decided to go out to the diner for dinner. It had been a blast, straw wrappers had been shot at each other, then balled up and tossed around and only when dinner arrived had they been fully well-behaved. 

Now, walking home, they walk three-wide. Cameron is in the middle, arms around Riyo and Fox and their arms around him. They laugh at some joke Cameron has told and pull up sharp when Fox stops walking. 

There is a man standing by their front door, looking too relaxed. He is wearing a brown leather jacket and his light blonde hair is greased back. “Stay here,” Fox orders quietly before stalking up to the man. “What are you doing on my property?” He growls. 

The man slinks off of their home and grins all too much like a predator. Riyo swallows and holds her son closer, pressing his head against her chest. 

“I heard this is the place to find Cameron Skobra,” the man begins. “I’m his father, Kal.” 

Cameron tenses under Riyo’s hands and Fox shoots a glance over his shoulder at them. It is happening all over again, her heart plummets to her stomach as she makes the painful realization that she has no right to her son. He isn’t hers in any way, not legally or biologically. He doesn’t even share their last name. “Is that my son there?” Kal brushes past a dumbstruck Fox and saunters up to Riyo. 

Shaking off his stupor, Fox darts between Kal and his family. “He doesn’t have to go with you.”

“Oh but he does. You see, he’s _my_ son. _My_ boy. You can play pretend all day long, but he has _my_ blood in his veins.”

Riyo’s heart races as Cameron shrugs off her hands and steps away, towards Kal. She doesn’t say anything. She can’t say anything. This is his decision. Fox sees Cameron approaching and looks to Riyo desperately. She knows what he is thinking. 

This can’t be right. This can’t be happening. He is _their_ son. 

Everything moves in slow motion as their boy approaches the sleemo. Cameron juts up his little chin and glares. With a tone of voice that can only be described as Fox-like, he spits. “I may be _your_ son, but you aren’t _my_ father.”

“Now you listen here, boy.” Kal tenses, making a movement towards their son. 

Fox steps in at this moment, shielding Cameron. “You heard him. He’s not coming with you.”

“Cameron, son--”

“ _Leave_ ,” Fox growls. 

Kal shoves Fox and he tenses, ready to lash out if need be. Kal steps back, looking like he is going to retreat before he yells. “You’ll be sorry, kid! Living with a fucking clone and his whore! I’ll send a bounty hunter your way. I promise.”

Cameron charges at the man, only to be restrained by Fox. Cameron shouts over his father’s shoulder, “Fuck off you pathetic waste of oxygen!” 

Kal bristles but says no more, stalking away with a crude gesture thrown over his shoulder. Riyo rushes to her boys and brushes her son’s hair from his eyes. 

“I’m sorry I cursed, momma,” he whimpers softly. “I was just real angry.”

“It’s okay, I think it was deserved,” Fox murmurs, kneeling to wrap his family in a hug. 

“Well,” Riyo begins. Everyone is crying, including her, but she desperately searches for her humor. “At least you finally managed to use ‘pathetic’ in a sentence.”

Cameron laughs wetly. “Yeah. I won’t forget the meaning of that one.”

She kisses his head. “I love you so much, Cameron.”

“I love you both, so much,” he curls impossibly closer and only the chill of the night air spurs them inside. 

~

They did end up moving, just to be on the safe side. No sense in waiting around for danger, not when the Empire was becoming a more looming presence with each passing day. Another year passes without incident and on Cameron’s twelfth birthday, Riyo and Fox present him with a gift that has both of their hearts racing. 

“What is this?” Cameron questions, eyeing the neatly wrapped box. 

“Open it, that’s the whole point of a present,” Fox rolls his eyes and Cameron needs no more spurring before tearing it open. 

His eyes hover briefly over the official-looking piece of flimsi. “What…” He looks up at his parents. “Is this?”

“We would like to officially adopt you. Make you an official Chuchi. If _you_ would like that,” Riyo urges. 

Cameron leaps from their table into their arms. “I thought you would never ask.”

“We were just waiting for the right moment,” Riyo reassures, brushing his hair with her fingers. 

He leans away, beaming, tears trickling down his cheeks. “Cameron Chuchi. I like it.”

“It does have a nice ring, doesn’t it?” Fox smiles, bending down to press a kiss to the crown of Cameron’s head. 

~

After his official adoption, life seems to pass by normally until it doesn’t. The Empire just won’t go away; it won’t leave them in peace. Like the fateful day where he ended up with his parents, TIE fighters scream over their city, dropping bombs carelessly because there is a supposed ‘rebel cell’ somewhere in their streets. 

Fox grabs his blaster and heads out to fight. “Riyo,” he orders. “Start setting up medical bays, get the med kit from under the sink. There are going to be casualties.” 

Cameron picks up a blaster rifle and moves to follow his dad out into the now warzone. 

“Cam, no. Stay with your mother.”

“No! I want to go with you! I can fight!” 

Fox shakes his head sternly. “No. You are going to stay here with your mother. She needs your help. There is going to be too many wounded for just one person to treat. Listen to what she says.”

“I’m not a child! I’m thirteen! I can fight!”

“No. Stay here with your mother, that’s an order.”

“I’m not some clone trooper.”

“You’re right,” Fox growls. “You are a _child_. Stay here.”

As Fox turns and puts his hand on the keypad, Cameron can’t help it. “I hate you!” The words fall from his mouth as his vision tinges with red. He hates that his father treats him like a _boy_. He’s an adult. He does his own projects in the shop now. He goes hunting with his father. He’s a man now. 

Fox says nothing, just presses the key pad and exits when the door slides up. 

~ 

The wounded are being carried into their home and it reminds Cameron too much of the night his birth mother died. Children are crying for their parents, men and women of all walks of life bleed on his living room floor. 

“Cameron, I need fresh water,” Riyo states. Her voice sounds strained and Cameron doesn’t have to ask what is wrong. She is holding a wound closed with her bare hands as she tries to stitch him back up and keep the wound clean. His stomach churns at the sight of his mom’s slender blue fingers turning violet with someone else’s blood. 

He rushes to the sink and turns the knob. Nothing comes out. 

“Mom!” Right, she can’t come to him right now. “Mom, no water is coming out of the faucet.” He announces, darting back into the living room. 

“Fuck,” she mutters and he decides not to say anything about her cursing. His mother _never_ curses; his father, on the other hand, has the mouth of a space pirate. 

No, he’s supposed to be hating him right now.

“Cameron,” she begins. “I need you to go out to the main pipe and get some water. Take the blaster.”

“What?” 

She huffs a breath, blowing hair out of her face. “Take the bucket. Go to the main pipe. I need as much water as you can get me. Take the blaster. Shoot anything in white armor. Don’t ask questions. Okay? Can you do this for me?”

His mind freezes. Moments ago, maybe a lifetime ago, he asked to go with his father. Now he finds himself petrified of going out there. 

“Cameron!” She shouts and that really captures his attention. His mother never yells, either. “I need you with me. I need you to focus.”

“I can do it,” he nods. “I can do it.”

“You know how to use it, right?” 

“What?” 

“The blaster. Do you know how to use it?”

He nods. His dad has taken him hunting a few times, but he’s not very good. He was never able to pull the trigger. To take an animal’s life. 

“Go,” she urges. “Hurry. And,” she pauses. “I love you. Okay? You know that right? I love you so much.”

Cameron blinks back tears. “I love you too, mom.”

As he heads out the door, trying to ignore the Rodian who is moaning in agony by their front door, he suddenly realizes that this may be the last time he sees her. Suddenly, as if he has been punched in the gut, the last words he said to his father ring out in his ears. 

_I hate you_. 

He doesn’t hate him. Not a little bit. Not at all. He loves him, he loves him so much it makes his chest hurt at the thought of losing him. 

Not now. Focus. His mother needs him. 

He charges out into the rubble and is immediately nine again. Fires devour buildings he knows as well as the back of his own hand. Blaster fire pops off and explosions echo in the background. He darts through the rubble, keeping low, staying in the shadows to the best of his ability. 

Stormtroopers charge down the road and he ducks into an alley, his heart pounding in his throat. Clutching his bucket and blaster like his life depends upon it, he sprints towards the main pipe. He stumbles as he starts pouring water into the bucket, letting his rifle clatter to his side. _Thank the Goddess_. 

“Halt.”

Cameron freezes and eyes the blaster sitting next to the bucket. Stupid. Why had he sat that down? 

“Don’t even think about it. You are under arrest for treason against the Empire.”

Cameron slowly lifts his hands above his head and a memory he didn’t even know he has impales him. 

_With a helmet over his head he holds up finger guns at his dad. “You’re under arrest.”_

_“For what?”_

_“Uh, for making awful oatmeal.”_

Stars, how he wishes he was being arrested for making awful oatmeal right now. Turning around, he looks up into the unforgiving mask of a storm trooper’s helmet. “I’m just getting water, sir,” Cameron explains. 

The butt of the blaster rifle comes down on his temple and he gasps. A lighting bolt of pain streaks across his vision and his stomach lurches. This is it. He thought about his mother and father dying, but never him. For some reason, at the ripe age of thirteen, he thought he was invincible. 

“Tell me where your rebel cell is,” the stormtrooper demands. 

“I don’t know. I-I’m not a rebel.”

The rifle comes down in the center of his back and he pukes. He’s going to die. This is how he dies. 

“Liar.”

“I’d listen to him,” he hears a raspy voice from behind him before the shot rings out. He flinches, hugging his knees to his chest. 

“Hey, kid, you alright?” The voice is standing above him now and the stormtrooper is laying next to him. Patting his body to make sure he is still, in fact, alive, Cameron looks up. 

She’s beautiful, but in a dangerous kind of way. Her fiery red hair matches their surroundings, both in color and in wildness. She has on big, clear goggles that look like they may have been holding back her wild hair before all hell broke loose. She is small in stature, wearing a tanktop and cargo pants with a belt of bombs strapped across her small, athletic chest and a hefty blaster rifle in her hands. 

Cameron stands and tries to ignore the way his hands are shaking. “Yeah, yeah I’m alright. Kid? How old are you?” He asks. 

She rolls her eyes. “That’s not important, I just saved your life.”

“Can I at least know your name?”

“Why should I trust you with that?”

“Wait, you’re a rebel?”

She looks down at herself and up at him. “In the flesh.”

“Wow. I, uh, I’ve never met a rebel before. I thought they’d be…”

She crosses her arms across her chest. “Be what?”

“Not you,” he finishes lamely even though his thoughts had definitely been tracking towards, pretty, beautiful, gorgeous.

“Gida,” she states gruffly. “And you are?”

“Cameron,” he reaches out to shake her hand and she accepts, firmly. Her hands are calloused and warm. 

“Do you need an escort back to home base?”

He shakes his head. “Just need to get water back to my house. My mom is tending to the wounded.”

She nods. “Stay low. Stick to the alleys. I’ll draw any bucket heads my way.”

“That was my plan,” he nods. 

She gives him a playful smile, “I hope to see you around, Cameron.”

“Thanks, uh, you too.”

He picks up his bucket of water and his blaster and runs home as quickly, and sneakily as he can manage. He busts through his front door just as his mom is trying to pound the life back into someone. “Breathe! Dammit!” She thrusts her arms down his chest a couple more times before falling back. “Cameron,” she sighs. “Oh sweet Goddess. What happened to you?”

“Don’t worry about it,” he says, falling down next to her with the water. “I got the water. What can I do to help?”

~

Everyone has fallen into a fitful sleep. Wounded lay around their living room, children sleep in their beds and Cameron sits with Riyo at their kitchen table, drinking tea. 

“He should be back by now,” she whispers. 

“He’ll be okay,” Cameron reassures, reaching across the table to take her hand. It’s funny, he has never gotten used to how her skin compares to his own warm copper. If people didn't know any better, they may have assumed that he was his father’s biological son. His mother, though, looks nothing like him in any way. 

She blinks back tears. “We don’t know that.”

Cameron reaches behind him and grabs the small statue of the moon goddess from the window sill. “Come on, you know he’ll be okay. Let’s pray.”

With both hands they squeeze the figurine and pray, pray, pray.

~

Dawn breaks before his father returns home and that’s when his stomach really starts to churn. His mother has finally fallen asleep; her head is resting on her folded hands and her mauve hair pooling around her shoulders. He should probably wake her; she’ll have a terrible crick in the neck in a few hours, but he can’t do it. She finally looks at peace and she deserves that much. 

His dad isn’t home yet and that is worrisome. His dad is invincible, he’s a clone commander - or was anyway. He can’t just get off’ed by some stupid stormtrooper. That just isn’t right. That isn’t how this works. 

People begin to stir and Cameron shakes his mom away, “Momma, I’m going to escort some people home. Are you going to be okay?” He murmurs. 

She blinks blearily and nods. Her eyes are puffy from crying, but he doesn’t say anything. He had been awake all night, listening to her cry silently and trying to stay silent so she wouldn’t worry about him. 

In truth, he is rather close to crying himself. 

He will never forgive himself if the last words his father heard from him were that he hates them. That couldn’t be further from the truth, yet he had yelled those words anyway. He feels sick as he helps two elderly women stand. 

~

When Cameron returns home, it is eerily silent. His mother sits at the kitchen table, catatonically staring at the Goddess of Serenity and spinning her wedding band with shaking hands. “Mom?”

“He still isn’t back,” she rasps. 

“We could go look for him?” He offers, stepping slowly towards her. 

She shakes her head. “I don’t think I’m strong enough to find him… Dead in the street.” She hiccups. “I’m sorry baby. Are you doing okay? How is your head?”

So typical of his mother, to think of everyone but herself. He waves his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. I can go out…” he trails off. He doesn’t exactly want to go out by himself either. 

“Did I ever tell you about how we escaped Coruscant?” She whispers. 

Cameron falls into the chair next to her and shakes his head. “No. No you never did.”

“The Emperor took control of the Army. All of the clones were created to have these,” she waves her hand frustratedly. “Chips in their heads and once Order 66 was issued, they were to kill every Jedi. Slaughter them all because they were traitors to the Republic.”

Cameron gasps. That’s not what he had learned in school. He had learned that they were traitors, that the clones had rebelled because they were protectors of democracy. He hadn’t known they had been mind-controlled. 

She continues. “I ran into Fox in the hall, by complete accident, and he was so stiff. So robotic. He hated working for the Chancellor, said he was slimy, but he told me then that he was _excited_ to serve at the pleasure of the Emperor. And… And I knew about the chip, no one else knew. Your father… He… He had killed a man who had tried to uncover the secret of the chips… he did it because he was loyal to the Republic and they had deemed this trooper a threat to democracy. Anyway,” Riyo sighs. “Anyway. That day. The day Fox lost his mind to some chip that had been engineered into him. I had to make a choice. I could remain silent. I could watch him live out the rest of the days as nothing better than a droid and continue to serve in my seat as Senator, or I could save him.” She sniffles, “Cameron, I chose to save him. I picked him over the entire galaxy. I cannot, I can’t lose him.”

Tears flow freely down his face. “Mom, I never knew that.”

She nods and wipes her hands across her eyes, smearing what little mascara was left. “I know. I know. I just… I needed someone to know how much he means to me. There is no one for him. We are his only family left.”

Cameron nods, remembering what his father had said to him about his family being dead. “Momma… Everything is going to be fine, I can feel it in my gut.”

She smiles wetly. “We can only hope.”

Just then there is a knock on the door. Two long ones and one short one. They shoot up from the table and rush to the door. Hitting the button to slide the door up, they reveal one very, very battered clone commander. 

“Dad,” Cameron exhales, pulling him into a strong hug. 

Fox grunts and hisses. 

“Oh, shit, I’m sorry,” he lets go and really _looks_ at him. His arm is in a sling and he is walking with a limp. 

“What happened?” Riyo asks, ushering him into the living room and onto the couch. 

“Got shot. Clean through. I’ll make a full recovery.” 

Riyo falls next to him burying her head in his chest. “I was so worried.”

“I’m here,” he murmurs, running his uninjured hand through her hair. “I’m alive.”

“Dad,” Cameron croaks. “I’m so sorry. I - I don’t hate you. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Fox smiles weakly and motions for him to join them on the couch. “I never thought you did, son. We all say things we don’t mean… and you were right. It’s about time I start treating you like a trooper. We’re at war. It’s about time we start acting like it.”

Riyo sits up. “Are you talking about joining the rebellion?” She hisses. 

Fox shakes his head. “No. I’m done fighting for someone else’s war. We are going to defend our home, though. Ignorance is not a defense.” 

Cameron flashes back to the trooper hitting him even though he had said he wasn’t a rebel. 

Then he thinks of Gida. 

“I’m ready,” he mumbles. 

Fox roughs up his hair. “I know you are. I know you are.”

~

“Again.” 

His dad had healed from his injuries, which meant it was now time to inflict some on Cameron. So much for never being hurt by someone again. 

That’s okay, he can take it. 

Cameron swings right, left, right, each blocked neatly by Fox. Then the clone comes at him with three punches at lightning speed. Cameron can barely get his hands in the right places to block. He is immediately put on the defensive. In a last ditch effort to get a one up on his father, the boy tackles him to the ground, where Fox immediately wrestles him into a headlock. 

Cameron taps out. “How… How do you do that?” He heaves a breath. 

Fox sighs, helping him up. “I was raised to kill things. It’s in my blood.”

“I wish it was in mine.”

Fox shakes his head. “No you don’t. A clone’s life isn’t a good one.”

“Why?”

Fox arches an eyebrow. “We were slaughtered. Just supplies to the republic. Slaves. We were never considered sentient so we were never given rights. We were grown at an accelerated rate and sent off to fight a war that we never had a choice in starting.”

“But you served on Coruscant?” 

Fox nods. “Yeah. I was commander of the Corrie Guard. We did a lot of protection details, prison exchanges, guarding stuff. Never had to deal with too many actual battles.”

“Yet you can still kill anything?”

Fox smirks. “I wasn’t the most decorated officer for nothing, kid.”

“Woah! Wait a second. You are a _certified_ badass?”

“Language, kid.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk.”

Fox shakes his head. “Again. And this time I won’t hesitate. The Empire isn’t going to think twice about kicking your ass.”  
“Wait, you were hesitating?”

The punches come even faster and Cameron struggles to keep up. 

~

“Nice shiner.”

Cameron whirls around, ready to throw a punch when he sees Gida sauntering down a garden wall like some sort of stray loth-cat. “Gida,” he sighs. 

“Who gave you the black eye?” 

Cameron shrugs. “None of your business.”

“Oh so Mr. Friendly now wants to play the brooding mystery man.”

“I’m not trying to play anything,” he grumbles, continuing his walk to school. 

“Would you want to?” 

He stops walking and eyes her. “Want to what?” 

“Play something.”

He arches an eyebrow. “What are you getting at?”

“My friends and I… we need a local to report to us on Empire activity in this area. We aren’t staying long, ya know, other rebel business to tend to.”

“Why would you ask me?” He re-shoulders his bag. 

“Gut feeling.”

“You’re making a big decision based off of nothing but a gut feeling? Then I don’t know if I want to be a part of your rebellion.” He starts walking again. 

“Cam, wait!” 

He stops. 

“Can I call you Cam?” 

He shrugs.  
“Okay, look. Rebellions are tricky things. They’re made up of nothing but gut instincts, ballsy moves, and hope. My gut is telling me you're a good guy, someone we can trust. I can see in your eyes that you're hungry for revenge. What did the Empire take from you?”

“They didn’t take anything from me. They gave me my family.”

She reels back. “What?”

“I was orphaned by a bombing on my homeworld. The Chuchis took me in and I’ve never looked back.”

“But you would do anything to protect them?”

Cameron nods. “Yeah, yeah I would.”

“Then help us. Please.”

Really, how could he refuse a beautiful woman asking for his help?

~

They eat mostly in silence. 

“So,” Cameron begins. “What would you think if I joined the rebellion?”

“What?” Both of his parents exclaim. 

“I’m tired of the Empire bullying us. Look at what they’ve done to you two. The greatest commander and senator yet you guys live scared of your own shadows!”

“First of all,” Fox begins, setting his silverware down much calmer than Cameron had expected. “We are not scared of our own shadows. Secondly, have you lost your fucking mind?”

“Fox,” Riyo chides. 

“No. Have you lost your mind? The Empire has an _entire_ _army._ A bunch of street rats aren’t going to do anything to bring them down.”

Cameron nods. “You’re right. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

Fox nods. “Good. Don’t go getting any crazy ideas.”

Cameron knows for certain he already has a crazy idea. 

~

They meet in an alley. Gida slides from a ladder leading up to a roof and Cameron tries not to jump out of his skin. 

“So what’s it going to be, Mr. Good Guy?”

“I’m in, but I’m not going to blow up any civilian buildings. I’m not taking any more civilian lives.”

She beams. “I knew we could count on you.” Gida, for a moment, looks bashful, before she pushes up on her tiptoes and kisses him on the cheek. “Thanks for, uh, helping us out.”

Cameron grips the back of his neck. “Yeah, uh, no problem.” She moves to start climbing back up the ladder and he grabs her wrist. “Wait. How do I contact you?”

“Oh,” she smiles. “I guess that would be useful, wouldn’t it?”

He nods. 

“Here’s a secure commlink. Send us anything over this frequency and it won’t get hacked. But you should probably learn how to do this stuff anyway.”

He nods again. “Hey, thanks for saving my life that night.”

She smiles. “How could I resist such an alluring damsel?”

Damsel? “Hey wait a second!” He shouts but she is already flying up the ladder. 

Well, _fuck_. 

He thinks he’s in love. 

~

It’s his eighteenth birthday and he hates that he is doing this, but he has to. The Empire has grown too strong and it _must_ be taken down. He just wishes he didn’t have to say goodbye to the only family he has ever known. Sure, Gida and her gang of renegades have grown to be _like_ a family, but they won’t be his beautiful, calm mother and his gruff, steadfast father. Nothing could ever replace them. With his packed bag slung over his shoulder, Cameron heads out into the kitchen where his parents have set out birthday presents for him. 

He wants to puke. 

“Mom, Dad,” he begins. His heart is racing. His palms are sweaty. Cold horror stiffens his spine and he doesn’t want to look them in the eyes. He can see their love so clearly and he knows what he is doing is going to break their hearts. 

“What is it, baby?” His mom smiles. She has more wrinkles on her face and his father’s hair is peppered with grey strands now, true testaments to how hard they have worked to raise him to be a decent man. 

He just hopes what he is doing is the right thing. 

He has never wanted to disappoint them. 

“I have to go,” he croaks. 

His mother rises from her chair and hugs him. “We know. We’ve known for a while now, sweetie.”

“We have a few things for you, before you go, though,” his dad rumbles from behind her. He knows he is trying not to cry - his dad’s voice always gets deeper the more emotion he tries to restrain. 

“You shouldn’t have,” Cameron whispers.

Riyo hushes him and leads him over to the unwrapped boxes. These aren’t birthday presents, they are supplies to take to war.

He opens the first, small, box. Inside it is a chromium chain with a set of tags and a small pendant of the goddess of serenity, one he has seen around his mom’s neck for most of his childhood. “What is this?” he thumbs the tags. 

CC-1010 - Clone Commander - Coruscant Guard 

“Dad, are these your GAR tags?” 

He nods solemnly. “Flip it over.”

Cameron Chuchi - Rebel - 

“I can’t take this.”

“It’s yours now.”

He thumbs the pendant and can feel the wear marks from where his mom has clutched it. “Momma, I can’t take this either.”

“It has been mine since I was a little girl. Take it. Remember you have all the knowledge and strength you need. You just need to remember to be calm, serene. Think with a clear mind.”

He nods, blinking back tears as he moves to the second and last, larger box. He pulls open the lid and finds twin DC-17s. He gasps. These were his father’s service weapons.  
“Take good care of those,” Fox gruffs. “I want them back when you’re done.”

Cameron smiles, “You got it.”

“You’ll never find a more reliable weapon, they’ve saved my life more than once.”

He nods, swallowing down the emotion in his throat. “Guys, I… Thank you. So much for everything. You didn’t have to take me in, but you did. I am so grateful for everything you have done for me. You… You’ve raised me to be a better man.”

“No, sweetie, we raised you to see your worth. You have always been a _good_ man,” Riyo stands and adjusts his collar for him, sweeping his curls out of his eyes one last time. 

“I love you, momma.” His tears well up and spill over without any permission from him. 

Riyo pulls him into a hug, and while she can’t pull his head under her chin any more, she wraps her arms tightly around him. “I love you too, baby. You go out there and you show them how stubborn a Chuchi is.”

He laughs wetly. “Yes ma’am.”

Fox lingers for only a moment before he pulls his son in for a bone-shattering hug. “I am so proud of you, Cam,” he rasps. 

“I know, Dad, I know.”

Before Fox begrudgingly lets go, he pats him on the back a few times. “Remember, keep your fists up.”

Cameron nods. 

“And never hesitate.”

He nods again. 

“And those Venators are all built the same. You find a schematic to one, you have it for all of them.”

He nods. 

“And if you get stabbed, never pull the knife out. Keep it in for as long as you can. If you get shot, make sure you pull your fabric away as soon as possible, if not it will cauterize to your skin and be a real bitch to scrub off later.”

“Dad, I got it.”

He hugs him one more time just as someone knocks on their door. 

Cameron knows who it is, but his parents have probably only had suspicions. Cameron holsters his new weapons, pulls his new necklace around his neck and tucks it under his shirt, and moves to the door. 

Gida stands there, a real _woman_ now and Cameron counts his blessings for how beautiful his girlfriend is. “Mom, Dad, this is Gida. My, uh, girlfriend.”

Riyo’s face erupts with a smile and she practically floats across the living room to hug her. His mom has always been like that; she is effortlessly _serene_. 

“Gida, it is so lovely to meet you.”

“Likewise Mrs. Chuchi.” She smiles. “Mr. Chuchi,” she acknowledges with a nod. 

“So where are you both off to?” Fox asks, taking his place next to his wife. 

“The rebel base. We are meeting up with a fleet and will go from there.”

Fox nods. 

They say their goodbyes one more time. Cameron somehow manages not to cry anymore and he steps out of the house with Gida close on his heels. 

“Gida,” Fox catches her arm. 

“Yes, sir?” 

“Please look out for him. He’s… He’s our only son.”

“I know. He’s one of a kind sir, I won’t let anything happen to him.”

Fox nods and holds Riyo while they watch their son go off to fight a war that they should have been able to prevent. 

~

Cameron and Gida sprint through the Imperial facility, hand in hand, as they try to find the closest exit. He is panicking. He was just brought along because he can slice. His dad had known the basics, but it wasn’t hard to learn more on his own. 

“This way!” Gida shouts, dragging him down a hallway. 

“Wait!” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. 

Serene. Calm. No good decisions come from panic. 

“This way!” He calls, dragging her the opposite direction. 

~

“Fox!” Riyo rushes into the living room. “Fox! There’s a letter!”

“What?” Fox stands bolt upright as she offers the datapad to him. 

“There- there’s a letter on the datapad. I can’t open it. It’s encrypted.”

Fox drags a hand through his greying hair and sits down. “I’m not good at this. Cam is the expert. Give me a minute to get this open.” 

She nods, but doesn’t move from her perch beside him. 

His fingers fly nimbly across the screen until he gasps. “I got it.”

She throws her hands over her eyes. “Read it to me.” Her stomach churns. She is terrified that this letter is a message of condolences for their loss. 

_Congrats old man, you did actually pay attention when I talked about slicing. I’m glad you learned something._

_I’m alive. I love you. Give mom a hug for me._

She can’t help the sob that escapes from her lips. “He’s alive.”

“He’s alive,” Fox echos. 

“Thank the goddess,” she falls into his lap and cries. 

~

“Gida, Gida stay with me,” Cameron rips off her shirt, trying to get the fabric away from the sizzling blaster wound. 

“If you wanted to see me naked, Sergeant, all you had to do was ask,” she smirks. 

“Shut up.” His hands tremble as he searches for the bacta in his bag. Luckily, they had gotten away from the Imperials. Now, they are barreling through hyperspace with half of their crew. 

The intel hadn’t been good. 

“Cam,” she catches his wrist. “Cam, listen to me,” her breathing is ragged, but he is having none of this. 

“No, no confessions. You’re gonna be fine.” 

“Cam, will you shut up,” she gasps for air. “And listen to me?”

He nods, but still works tirelessly on her wound. Where is the _fucking_ bacta?

“I love you.”

He stops and looks into her beautiful green eyes. They’re like the leaves on his mom’s Pantoran lilies - dark green, with just a hint of indigo. “I love you too. Now shut up and let me work.”

“Yessir,” she slurs. 

~

The datapad pings with a new notification and they both scramble for it in their sleep. At 0100 in the morning, when both of them are normally well asleep, Riyo waits patiently for Fox to crack the encryption and then listens while he reads it. 

_G has been injured. Life is hard. War is disgusting. I miss home._

_But Chuchis are stubborn and I won’t give up._

_Love you. -CC_

Riyo gasps. “At least he’s okay.”

Fox nods and rubs gentle circles on her back. “I just wish there was something we could do.” 

“Can you send an encrypted message back?”

Fox nods. “I can try.”

~

Cameron lays in the medical bay with Gida by his side. They say he is lucky to be alive with how close the blaster bolt had been to his heart. He’s not sure if he has been all that lucky. War is so hard and he feels like there is no hope - nothing worth fighting for. Gida is the only surviving member of their original squadron and they are losing pilots left and right. 

“There’s a new message on your datapad,” Gida murmurs, stroking small circles on the back of his hand. 

“Read it to me?” He croaks. 

“It’s encrypted. Hold on a sec.”

_The flowers have bloomed in the garden. We’ve attached a picture. Maybe it will remind you of the beauty in the galaxy. Remember, with all darkness there is light. To become a full moon, it must start as just a crescent._

_With all our love_

Cam smiles, hope blooming in his chest for the first time in months. “Mom wrote that.”

“How can you tell?” She asks. 

“She’s always been good with words.”

~

“There’s no hope!” Someone shouts. 

His fleet of squadrons have been moved from Yavin to Hoth and now from Hoth to their new, soon to be determined home. 

“We can’t go on like this!” Someone else cries. 

His fleet is on the verge of crumbling. How could it not? They had defeated one Death Star only to learn of another. The only home most everyone has known has been decimated. Lives have been lost. 

He’s not even certain where Gida is. 

Closing his eyes, he thumbs the worn goddess pendant that hangs from his neck. What would his parents do? 

They would save this _fucking_ rebellion because Chuchi’s don’t give up. They protect their loved ones. They fight for what is right and they sure as hell don’t give up when things get tough. 

He charges onto the deck where everyone is spiraling into a storm of despair. 

“Commander on deck!” Someone shouts. 

Everyone snaps to attention and he looks them all in the eyes before he says, “At ease.” 

He sucks in a deep breath, but doesn’t break eye contact with the crowd. Serene. Serene. He is the son of Senator Riyo Chuchi and Clone Commander Fox. He can do anything. 

“I know things seem dire right now.” A chorus of agreement reverberates through the deck. “But we cannot lose hope. Someone once told me that rebellions are made up of gut instincts, ballsy moves, and hope. Without hope we have nothing to fight for. The Empire has robbed us of everything and to quit now would be to tell our children that they mean nothing to us. To tell our children’s children that we would rather have them fight this war for us. I’m not going to let that happen. Today we took a great hit, I’m not going to lie and I’m not going to sugarcoat it. But that isn’t a reason to cower. We are the rebellion! We are the last flickering light of hope this dark galaxy has! And there is no place to go but up now. It is time we show them just how powerful we are! For the rebellion!” He shouts. 

People cry out, ready for a battle. 

~

“Cameron!” Gida bellows and charges across the deck of one of the ships in his fleet. He has been bouncing around, doing inventory, preparing for battle, but also looking for her. 

He stops and whirls around just in time to catch her as she launches herself into her arms. “I thought I lost you!” She cries into the crook of his neck. 

“And I thought I lost you!” He pushes her away so he can touch her face, her shoulders, her hips. He needs to guarantee that this is real. 

“Well I’m here. In the flesh,” she smirks and haphazardly wipes her eyes. “I heard you gave one helluva speech back on the _Serenity_.” 

He guffaws. “I guess you could say that.”

“Hey, Cam, I have a stupid idea.”

He arches an eyebrow. “The last time I heard that we were running from a nest of gundarks.”

She smirks. “No gundarks this time.”

“What’s the plan? Mind if we walk and talk?” He asks, motioning to the crates of ammunition he needs to log before they take off. 

She shrugs and follows the one and only Commander Chuchi. “I’ve been thinking. Emergency contacts can only be family members and they get updated really quickly regarding the status of their loved ones.”

“Uh-huh,” he nods as he checks off his inventory. 

“So we keep having to evacuate and I die a little not knowing if you made it out alive.”

“What’re you getting at, Gida?” He asks, still not bothering to look at her. 

“I guess I’m asking if you want to marry me, so that our files get updated and we know.”

Cameron drops his datapad and whips around to look at her. Her deep green eyes are staring at him, hope and fear dancing in the fire that always burns in her gaze. “You… did you just propose to me?”

“Got a problem with that?”

He grins. “What’re we waiting for? Let’s go!”

~

“Riyo!” Fox calls from the living room. “Riyo! There’s a letter!”

She barrels into the living room, still covered in flour from baking her Pantoran cinnamon buns. 

_Announcing Commander Cameron Chuchi and his glowing wife Commander Gida Chuchi. Married with vows from the goddess of serenity. May our lives be filled with peace._

_Wish you could have been here, CC & GC _

They open up the attachment to see their son and daughter-in-law positively beaming at each other. They both wear their fatigues, both of them sporting an officer’s jacket, except Gida has a white medical blanket tied in her hair as a makeshift veil and is holding a bouquet of ration foils. 

“What a beautiful couple,” Riyo sighs. 

Fox wipes a tear from his eyes. “They look so happy.”

“They remind me a little bit of us,” she smiles up at him. 

With a soft grin, he bends down to kiss his wife and run his aching hands through her soft, greying locks. 

~

He can hardly believe it. Standing on Endor, fireworks illuminate the sky and he feels at peace. Five long years have passed of him fighting this war and he feels almost empty. Gida comes up behind him and smiles. “So where to now, Mr. Good Guy?”

“I’d like to go back home. See my mom and dad.”

She smiles. “That sounds nice. I’d like some time to rest and focus on this baby.”

“B-baby?” He sputters. 

“Yeah we’re going to be mister, missus, and lil Good Guy.”

“Oh my god. I’m going to be a father.”

She beams. “I know.”

~

Fox straightens slowly, his back protesting with vocal pops and cracks. “Do we really have to plant more potatoes? Aren’t you tired of potatoes? We had so many last year.”

“Fox, potatoes are good for you. They are a healthy carbohydrate filled with lots of vitamins.”

“You know they said the same thing about ration packs in the GAR.” 

She swats at him. 

They both freeze at hearing a knock on their door. “Was that the door?” She asks him. 

He shrugs. “Were you expecting anyone?”

“No! Today is potato planting day.”

“Goddess help me,” he pulls himself to his feet and stiffly hobbles into the living room. 

Sure enough there is another knock. “Hold your eopies! I’m coming!” 

Riyo follows behind him, far more nimble than he is in his old age. 

She cites the Pantoran hot springs, he just blames having his joints aged rapidly. 

Falling off a couple buildings in his youth probably did not help matters, either. 

He presses the open button on the keypad and nearly falls over at the sight standing before him. 

Cameron and his wife Gida with a little bundle in her arms. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get here sooner,” Cameron begins. Is his voice deeper? It sounds deeper. He certainly looks older. His normally floppy mop has been trimmed up tight on the sides, but still is a little long on top where Fox can see his natural curls. His deep brown eyes look haunted, but there is no less sparkle than there used to be five years ago. “We got caught up in clean up. Turns out there is a lot of clerical work to deal with once one blows up an Empire.”

Fox pulls his son into a hug and shamelessly cries. Riyo does the same, bullying her husband out of her way to give her son a hug before they all end up on the floor in their foyer crying. “We are so proud of you,” she smiles, brushing her thumbs across his cheeks and pawing at his dark curls. 

“I have some gifts for you,” he pulls his bag around. “First, dad, here are your blasters back. They may be a little dinged up.”

Fox waves his hand dismissively. “That doesn’t matter. They got you home safely.”

“And I have this letter from Senator Mon Mothma. She notes my exemplary military services and says she would like to host the Chuchi clan any time. She said it would be one of her highest honors. And I have a piece of rubble from the final Death Star, so that you may know there will always be peace in this galaxy of ours.”

Riyo takes her son's gifts and gently sets them aside before holding his hands. “Cameron, the greatest gift and the greatest honor is having such an amazing son who came home to us in one piece. We always knew you would do great things, and we were right.”

Fox nods. “We are so proud of you Cameron. We don’t need these gifts to commemorate that, we just need you.”

Cameron smiles, wiping away his tears. “Then I guess I should introduce your granddaughter.”

Both of his parents turn to the little bundle in Gida’s arms. Beaming, Gida hands the girl over to her grandparents. 

“Mom, Dad,” he smiles. “Meet Freda Ranya Chuchi. We used your initials because without you two, none of us would be here today.”

Riyo coos. “She’s so tiny.”

Gently, she hands their granddaughter to Fox, who looks terrified. “No, I shouldn’t.”

“Hold your granddaughter, Fox.”

He does as his wife commands and is immediately raptured when one of her tiny hands wraps around his finger. 

How did his life become so beautiful? All he has known is pain and war and sorrow. But here, now, he has a beautiful family and a little bundle too precious for this world. As gently as he can manage with hands that have only taken lives, he moves his granddaughter back into his wife’s arms. 

“If it’s not too much trouble,” Cameron begins. “I was hoping we could stay here for a while. We are in a transitionary state. Before long I’ll be called back. I’ve been voted to be a senator in charge of rehabilitation of systems exploited by the empire.”

“A commander and a senator? How’d you manage that skillset?” Riyo smiles, bouncing her granddaughter. She has Cameron’s wildly curly locks and his sharp aquiline nose. 

“I had two very amazing parents who passed down their knowledge and strength to me.” He smiles. “I’d be lost without them.”

“No, son,” Fox shakes his head. “We would have been lost without you.” 

Once, long ago, Fox and Riyo had resigned themselves to a life of solitude, constantly running and moving. But one fateful day, a little boy changed their lives. While he may think that they made him into a better man, the opposite is true. Cameron Chuchi reminded them that there was still hope and love left in this galaxy. And, like a waxing crescent moon, they have become full and bright and whole because of him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!! I'm sorry/not sorry that this fic ended up being so long! Fun fact, this story was originally planned to end with Cameron going to go live with Kal and Fox and Riyo deciding they wanted a family of their own... but I got attached to my little OC.


End file.
